Information for Landlords

Below you will find information related to owning rental residential properties within the city limits of Monmouth.

Landlords and the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act

Illinois has new amendments to the Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which went into effect on January 1, 2017. The amendments are about mitigation notices for lead paint hazards. While the Zoning Department does not inspect for lead, landlords should be aware of their responsibilities to provide their tenants with certain disclosures.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, "Lead poisoning, the number one environmental illness of children, is caused primarily by lead-based paint in older homes. While Illinois has made great progress in recent years, we maintain one of the highest rates in the nation for the number of children with elevated blood lead levels. The most common exposure to lead by children is through the ingestion of paint chips and contaminated dust from deteriorated or disturbed lead-based paint in homes built before 1978. About 75 percent of Illinois homes built before 1978 contain some lead-based paint" (IDPH website).

Rental Registration

Landlords must register each local rental property (not rental unit) they own. Non-local landlords are required to indicate a local agent for their property.

During October, there are no fees to register rental properties. From November through September, standard rental registration fees apply.

If you have already registered your properties (one registration per rental property), simply call the Zoning Office at (309) 734-7590 to verify your information. If you have not registered a property, you can use the online form below, or you can visit the City Hall Zoning Office to register a rental property in person.

Rental FAQs

We've compiled a list of frequently asked questions from landlords about our rental registration and inspection program (called the Property Enhancement Program). To access the FAQ list, either use the FAQs menu to the left, under the Main Menu, or click the link below.

Landlord/Tenant Checklist

It's often a good idea for a landlord and a new tenant to do a quick walkthrough together of a rental dwelling as part of the lease-signing process. It's an opportunity for both parties to get on the same page as to the state of the rental unit before the tenant moves in. The checklist below can be a helpful tool for both parties and it can provide protection for the landlord if there are later issues about missing smoke detector batteris and such. Feel free to use as-is or modify for your own needs.

Rental Dwelling Requirements

There are minimum requirements that a rental dwelling must conform to based on the zoning district the property is located in. The sheet below is a quick but helpful checklist of what is required to turn a property into a rental dwelling and the requirements of the zoning district it is located in.

Rental Inspection Criteria

A rental registration and inspection program is part of the City's larger Property Enhancement initiative. The goal of the program is to provide safe and secure rental properties for Monmouth residents who chose to rent. Inspections are conducted by the Monmouth Fire Department, with a focus on life safety, backed up by both the International Fire Prevention Code and the International Property Maintenance Code, both adopted by the City.

The document linked below is the listing of all areas that a rental inspector will be looking at, backed up by the related code. Our goal is to provide as much information as possible to inform our landlords and the community as a whole on on our efforts to enhance our residential building stock here in Monmouth.

Tenants are encouraged to ask landlords for copies of their rental inspection certificates before they sign a lease. If a landlord's property has not yet been inspected, they can simply call the Zoning Office to schedule an inspection (309-734-7590).

Rental Registration and Inspection

Per ordinance 11-023, adopted on November 7, 2011, all rental properties within the city limits are to be registered with the City of Monmouth, with the information updated yearly. Rental dwellings will be inspected for code compliance, with compliant dwellings receiving a certificate of inspection that will be valid for three years. For informational purposes, Ordinance 11-023 is attached below. Any questions will be answered at City Hall (309-734-2141) or via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..